Shoot Me
by Nirianne
Summary: "Mystel!" Mariah gasped. Since when Mystel was a male model? Two-shot! R&R!
1. Shoot Me –Part 1–

**A/N:** Happy birthday, **AquilaTempestas!** This story here is for you! Yeah, I know this is an early birthday present but hey, the earlier the better! So, this is the diabolical idea that was kept under wraps for you! I hope you like it my dear friend! I just couldn't resist on _not_ writing this piece as I thought, "Hey, why not? I'm already insane!" This piece is dedicated to you my dear friend, my inspiration and my rock through turmoil!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Summary: **"Mystel?" Mariah gasped. Since when Mystel was a male model?

* * *

><p><strong>Shoot Me (Part 1)<strong>

Mariah Wong needed a job. Sadly, jobs these days were not as easy as before, hell, it's probably harder now because of high competition in every field she was interested in. Making accessories and jewelry was good and all but, she needed a _real_job. Long story short? Mariah wanted a _real_ career. Since the conclusion of the last major Beyblade tournament, Mariah went to do some 'self searching', if she could call it that. Of course, beyblade would always be in her heart but now, it remained a hobby; it remained something she could do with the guys on an occasional basis.

Walking down the busy streets of Tokyo, Mariah glanced down at a piece of paper she had in hand. She applied to several places in this bustling metropolis including a fashion photography studio. Why this crossed her mind was beyond her.

Arriving at the studio, Mariah was warmly greeted by the receptionist. "Hello!" The woman said warmly. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes with Ed."

"Okay, please follow me!"

Mariah followed the receptionist while her eyes scanned through the hall of portraits. This Ed character (as she read from a magazine) was renowned for capturing perfect moments on film. He was the one who brought out a woman's inner beauty. Turning around a corner, the receptionist lead Mariah into a room. As expected, Ed was there snapping away photographs of…

"Mystel?" Mariah gasped. Since when Mystel was a male model?

Mariah watched nervously as Mystel posed in various positions in front of the camera. Ed continued to praise the blond, "Good job!" "Well done!" "Show us your pearly whites!" The situation was not aided by the fact Mystel shot his scene in a beach setting; his Hawaiian shirt was unbuttoned exposing his oiled up abs, black swim shorts, and his ball—the beach ball was held tightly within his grasp. Unable to look away, Mariah's cheeks reddened.

"Ed, here's the girl who came for an interview," the receptionist said. Clearly, Ed was too absorbed with his work to notice the girls behind him. The receptionist tapped her foot in annoyance. "Ed!"

The lanky man turned around, "Oh hi," he greeted. "Take a seat. I'll be with you shortly."

Thoughts swirled through Mariah's mind: this was _not_ the job for her. Guiding Mariah to a chair, the receptionist gave Mariah a clipboard.

"Please fill out your information," the receptionist pointed out. With a warm smile the receptionist continued, "I do hope you work here with us; you're such a pretty girl."

"T-Thank you," Mariah blushed.

Unknowingly to Mariah, she was being watched. Mystel set his gaze on Mariah the moment the pink-haired girl walked in nervously. With those seductive curves, Mystel thought, she'd make a great model!

"Oi, Mystel! Snap out of it!" Ed shot.

Mystel turned to the man's direction and grinned sheepishly. "Haha, sorry Ed. I was just… wondering."

"Pose now, wonder later!"

Another agonizing fifteen minutes passed by. Finally, Mystel's photo shoot was over. Mariah now had Ed's undivided attention. Taking the chair and turning it around, Ed sat with authority leaning onto it.

"So, what brings you to this studio?"

"I need a job," Mariah began, eyes flaring with determination. "I thought I'd try this out,"

"You need a job," Ed repeated, rubbing his chin. "So you think modeling is for you?"

Mariah twiddled her thumbs. "Yes?"

"What do you have to show to tell me you belong here?"

"Um…" Mariah quickly thought of a response. The last thing she wanted to say was something dumb. "Well, I know how to do poses and stuff."

And that… was one of the responses she hoped was never to leave her mouth. Quickly realizing what she had just said, Mariah instantly zipped it. By any means she did _not_ want to appear like those 'dumb blondes' on TV. Ed stared at her. Releasing a sigh, Ed removed his fake, lenseless glasses off his face.

"Well, you're hired," Ed spoke nonchalantly placing the glasses back on. "I'm only hiring you because we're understaffed at the moment. One of our models, Enrique caught the flu."

_Enrique__… __is__a__model?_Mariah was horrified by the thought! Several images of Enrique in tight swimming trunks… _Or__a__mankini__…_ Mariah wanted to hurl at the disturbing thoughts.

Ed blinked. Was there something wrong with Mariah's face? "Hey, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah!" Mariah responded. "And thank you! I'll do my best for this studio!"

"Alright then!" Ed got off the chair and looked around. "Well, first things first: you can start today if you'd like."

"Thank you!"

* * *

><p>Mariah wanted to eat her words when an hour passed by. Scrubbing the washroom floor was <em>not<em> part of the job! Cursing at herself, she wondered how the hell she got into this predicament! Oh right, all of this for a measly job! Bah! Why won't someone just shoot her already? Frustrated with herself, Mariah poured buckets of cleaning agent down into the toilet bowl and waited. Tapping her foot in annoyance, she narrowed her eyes. She never expected her first job was to be like this! Gah! This is _rant,__rant,__rant,__rant,__rant,__rant__and__more__ranting._

_This is utterly stupid__!_ Mariah thought as she scrubbed the insides of a toilet bowl. _Do all models start off like this__?__ Why didn't I just listen to Lee __and__ work on the farm__?__ God,__ someone shoot me__!_

"Hey there, sweet cheeks."

Mariah stopped. Turning around, she met Mystel's gaze.

"What do _you_ want?" Mariah asked distastefully.

"Nothing," Mystel replied putting his hands behind his head. "I'm just checking up on the newbie."

"Well this _newbie_ wants to work in peace." Mariah returned to scrubbing the toilet. _Jackass._

"Anyway, I was wondering if you want to grab lunch with me."

"Not interested," Mariah replied as she continued scrubbing the toilet.

"Are you sure?" Mystel asked inching closer to her. "I mean, there's this sandwich sale going on nearby."  
>"I said I'm not—"<p>

It was that very moment, Mariah's stomach grumbled. Why? Why now? Mystel exploded into hysterical snickering. Clenching the brush tight, Mariah wanted to… well, let's leave that up to imagination. Placing down the brush, Mariah left the stall and tossed away her rubber gloves. Washing her hands, it never occurred to her she was in the men's washroom.

"What are you doing here?" Mariah asked, not making eye contact with him.

"Not only did I come to see you but I came here to do something very important."

"Which is?" Mariah questioned drying off her hands.

"I came here to do some 'business' if you catch my drift."

Snapping her head to him Mariah was disgusted! "Ew! Get out!"

Apparently the urinals beside her didn't ring a bell. Mystel was enjoying this. "It never really dawned on you you're in the men's washroom?"

Mariah blinked. Men's washroom? Looking to her right she saw polished white urinals glued to the wall. She immediately scrunched her face in disgust. And ding! It dawned on her: she was in the men's washroom! Bright as a tomato, Mariah quickly gathered the bucket, mop, gloves and quickly dashed out of there. The last thing she wanted to hear (or see) was Mystel doing his 'business'!

* * *

><p>Leaning against the wall, Mariah heaved. Dropping the bucket onto the floor, she shook her head. This… this was horrible! Her first day and already she was a laughing stock! And to top it off, it was Mystel who laughed at her! Crossing her arms, she had no idea she was being watched from afar. Ed, the creepy—erm, respected photographer observed her movements. The way she moved or the way she moved her head sparked an idea within the photographer's abysmal mind. She could definitely pass as a model! Why didn't he see it sooner?<p>

Feeling eyes on her, Mariah hugged herself tightly. "Who's there?"

Busted! Ed crept out of the shadows rubbing the back of his neck. "Hi."

"Erm… Hi?"

"I reconsidered you for something else," Ed began. "I think you'll make a great model here, at this studio."

Mariah arched an eyebrow. "What makes you say that all of a sudden?"

"Intuition," Ed smiled warmly.

She blushed.

"Anyway, Mystel can give you some modeling tips," Ed said proudly. The moment Mystel's name was mentioned, Mariah stopped blushing.

"Say what?"

"Mystel can help you become a fabulous model!"

Mariah was indeed terrified. "What? N-No! Not Mystel!"

Too late; Ed danced off leaving Mariah to sulk to a whole new level.

"Great…" Mariah said. "This is just great. Not only I'll become a model but I have that jackass to help me. Gee… I wonder what _else_ can go wrong?"


	2. Shoot Me –Part 2– THE END

**A/N: **Here's the second part to _Shoot __Me_! Yay, I'm so happy I got around to typing this up. After all… a promise is a promise is it not? This story is again, dedicated to my lovely and wonderful friend, my inspirational guru and the bond that ties us all together, **AquilaTempestas!**I know this one is kinda slow but I was MIA for a bit. I hope this makes up for it! Now, onward with the insanity! I hope you like it :D

Oh and on another colorful note, it does have some interesting innuendos in here so don't blame me if A) You don't understand my messed up innuendo references and B) I should be stoned to death because this type of humor is not allowed here. I've warned ya!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Summary: **"Mystel?" Mariah gasped. Since when Mystel was a male model?

* * *

><p><strong>Shoot Me (Part 2)<strong>

"Oh… My… God."

Mariah closed her eyes shut hoping her eyelids would shut for eternity. Envisioning Mystel's oiled up abs from the photo shoot made Mariah at the verge of choking. Why she had to be standing next to Ed during this _lovely_ time was beyond her but hey, how could she argue with Ed, her boss? Opening an eye, she watched Mystel pose somewhat erm… 'seductively' in front of the camera. Gosh, how could one be so into one's self? Was his ego the size of Uranus? Either way, she tried not watching him pose as she knew; those images would be burned into her mind, scarring her for an everlasting eternity. Hell, the mere thoughts of Enrique doing these poses were…

**WARNING: THE IMAGES APPEARING IN YOUR MIND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN AGES 5 AND UNDER! VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.**

And ending with that colorful visual, Mariah cringed some more.

"That's it!" Ed exclaimed. "Keep on posing! Oh, yes, yes, yes! Now you've got it! Come on! Bring out the heat!"

_Why do I feel like this sounds sooo wrong__?_ Mariah thought. Fanning out her fingers, she peeked through the gaps. _Eep!_

"Hey Mariah, check this out,"

Mystel displayed his not-so-bulging muscles. Wow. Feeling a little witty, Mariah couldn't keep this comment to herself as she removed her fingers from shielding her eyes.

"Rei's bigger," Mariah boldly commented, grinning.

Shock! That comment alone sent his ego to plunge through the darkness of space. Maybe it was the heat or maybe it was from the small breeze drifting into the room but Mariah swore she noticed Mystel's glorified hair deflate! You know when a guy gets excited and then something kills the mood? Her comments had that negative effect. One point for the pink one! Shaking his head out of deep space, Mystel continued on posing in front of the camera only to have Mariah's words haunt him. Ed noticed Mystel's change in expression and called it quits; it was break time. Leaving the room, Mariah was left with an ego-stabbed Mystel.

Tossing a towel to him she said, "Well that was lovely, wasn't it?"

"You sure know where to hit a man where it hurts," Mystel grumbled wiping of excess oil off his body. He knew too much oil turns off the ladies and it would cause pimples. Turning to Mariah, he faked a hurt expression, pressing his hand against his shattered heart.

"Naturally," Mariah chimed. "We girls always know where to hit where it hurts _most_."

Shrugging he replied, "Fair enough."

Mariah moved on to the set rearranging props and kicking away Mystel's ball. Noticing Mariah bending over, he couldn't help but gaze at her curvaceous… curves.

Feeling like her butt had a large bull's-eye on it, Mariah quickly spun around. "Stop staring at my butt!"

"Sorry! I couldn't help but notice your big butt."

Silence. Mariah twitched. Realizing what he had just said, Mystel nervously smiled.

"That was a compliment."

Without words, Mariah stormed to the beach ball and dug her nails into it. One by one holes appeared. Somehow, Mystel had a bad feeling about this.

"Alright kiddies! Let's shoot some more!" Ed waltzed into the room, oblivious to Mariah's murderous glare. Clapping his hands he said, "Come on, chop chop!"

Ripping her gaze away from him, Mariah huffed and walked off set. Ed was ignorant of the fact his new employee almost murdered his top model. Well, no matter. Placing the lens on his camera, he instructed Mystel to change into casual clothes. Nodding, the blonde went to the change rooms. Mariah remained close to Ed.

"In this next segment, I want you to model with Mystel," Ed said.

Blood drained from Mariah's face. Pointing at herself she said, "M-Me?"

"Of course you, who else will it be? Our female model called in sick today so you're going to be her replacement."

Mariah swallowed nervously. "But I don't know anything about modeling!"

Ed turned to Mariah and gave her a smile. "Don't worry about it, Mariah. All you have to do is relax. I'm not going to ask you to pose in a position you're not comfortable with. It's a casual photo shoot after all."

"A-Are you sure?"

"Positive!" Ed said brightly. "Mystel will give you tips and tricks. Believe me."

"Erm…"

"I selected your clothing. They'll be in the change rooms. I do hope you like them,"

Nodding in defeat, Mariah sulked away from the studio. What was she to do? She had _no_clue on how to model or pose normally (not that she would pose like Mystel does). Sure during World Championship or National Championships, she only posed for quick photos from the press. All she ever did was smile and wave. Sliding her finger down the wall, she remembered those good times she shared with the White Tigers. Arriving at the changing room, Mariah noticed the black leather jacket and dark wash skinny jeans hung on the wall. Picking up those items, she realized they belonged to Guess.

"Wow," Rubbing the fabric between her fingers, this was expensive stuff.

To the side was a box of silver jewelry to choose from.

"Well these are nice."

"They sure are,"

Turning at the sound of Mystel's voice, she scowled at him.

"What are you doing here? This is the ladies change room!"

"Ugh, no, this is a unisex change room. Didn't you read the sign outside?"

How… How could she be so stupid? Picking pieces of herself she said boldly, "So."

"So?"

"…Are you going to stand there and watch me change or something?" Mariah was on the verge of hysterics!

Mystel's face immediately lit up. "**YES!**" Not knowing where to stop he added, "I wanted to see if those babies are real or not,"

Mystel clearly was referring to her breasts as his eyes never left them in the first place. Twitch. No sooner said than done, Mariah kicked Mystel out of the room watching him face plant into the adjacent wall.

"**PERVERT!**"

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Mariah stormed to the photo shoot. She did <em>not<em> and she meant in _no_ way did she mean to look at Mystel who was properly dressed up wearing a black leather jacket, dark wash jeans and leather shoes. He leaned quietly by one of the props with arms crossed and somehow, in deep thought. _Eh__…_ Mariah wondered, _What's Mystel thinking about__?__ Is he moping that I kicked him? _Narrowing her eyes, she quickly shook her head. Pulling out a pair of shades, he placed them on and walked on set.

Ed turned around spotting the two, "Ah you're here! Well let's stop wasting time and begin!"

Nodding, Mariah approached the set quickly adjusting loose chains dangling off her jeans. Ironing out creases with her hands, she breathed reassuring herself everything was going to be okay. Tapping her heels against the marble floor, Mariah got on set, standing next to Mystel.

"Okay kids, I want you lean against the fake wall there. Do whatever poses you like and relax," Ed instructed.

Mystel huffed. With arms still crossed, he leaned by the wall without a word. Mariah approached the wall placing her hands behind her back. Crossing her legs, she tilted her head slightly and eyes fixated on the camera.

"Beautiful!" Ed commented, adjusting the camera lens. "Such emotion!"

_Why __do __I __feel __a __sense __of __guilt?_ Mariah wondered listening to shutter sounds. _Why __should __I? __He__'__s __the __jackass! __Prick._

"Now, let's change it up a bit! Mariah, why don't you lean on Mystel?"

Mystel shifted positions and before she knew it, she was leaning on him. Without her permission, a blush crept on her face. She imagined Mystel grinning a bit as the corners of his lips curved upwards. Locked in her pose she was unable to move except the position of her hands. Mystel on the other hand seemed to enjoy her company. The feeling was strange, Mariah thought. The last time she was close to someone was several months ago hugging Rei when they said goodbye after their breakup.

"Alright Mariah, I want you now to turn around and face Mystel. Put your hands on his chest."

Red exploded all over her face! Turning around to face Mystel, a smirk was glued to his face. Pushing up his shades, his brilliantly blue eyes gazed into a golden abyss. Ed, catching the moment with his camera was pleased. He knew Mariah was a natural; she didn't need to pose or anything, all she had to do was be herself. Although Ed didn't know Mystel and Mariah's relationship, he understood the moment when someone gazes deep into their eyes revealing what they truly felt without words. Of course, he couldn't possibly confirm this but, hey; it was young love at first sight (or so he thought).

Snapping out of his daze, he noticed Mariah's cheeks were now less red. Instead, she made herself comfortable by breathing gently. Her eyes expressed something different, Ed noticed.

"I thought you hate me," Mystel said quietly, moving a hand to her waist.

"I still do," Mariah responded brushing away her bangs. "There's something about you I don't like or appreciate."

Saying no more, Mystel was instructed to move to the next set where he would sit on a motorcycle and pose. Mariah was instructed to the same only she was to sit on Mystel's lap and look 'happy'. Ed walked to the wind machine switching it on. A gush of wind flowed from the big fan before a windstorm took place in the studio. Little did Ed know, the settings on the fan were on maximum.

Yelling over the sound of the chopping blades he said, "Alright kiddos! Let's take some photos!"

Mariah's face turned grim feeling the wind's power. Carefully moving to Mystel, she got onto his lap and without her knowledge, her fingers gripped tightly onto his jacket as she tried to concentrate on the task at hand. With several shots taken, Mariah felt uncomfortable. The power of the wind was overwhelming. It was that moment she heard a creaking sound. Opening her eyes, she slowly turned her head to see a plastic chair rattling side to side.

"**Ed!**" Mariah yelled battling the wind. "**The ****chair!**"

Oblivious, Ed was unfortunately turned around putting in another memory card. The chair rattled some more. Mariah blinked and the chair was suddenly airborne heading towards them. Her first reaction was to immediately protect herself. She buried her face in his chest. She waited for pain. Seconds to minutes ticked by. Mariah's eyes twitched feeling an arm holding her tight. Loosening her fingers from the jacket, she slowly lifted her head. Instead of making contact with Mystel's mischievous blue eyes, she instead made contact with his serious face. Her eyes traveled the length of his arm. It was revealed Mystel caught the plastic chair. Ed turned around and released a high pitched shriek. Switching off the wind machine, he ran to the two almost stumbling upon another tipped chair.

"W-What happened?"

"The chair caught wind," Mystel replied, tossing the chair aside. "It was no big deal."

Ed's eyes widened to the size of bowls. "**NO ****BIG ****DEAL? **NO BIG DEAL? MY TWO PRECIOUS MODELS WERE ALMOST ATTACKED BY A CHAIR!**"**

Cue Mariah. "Sir… Really, it was no big deal. We're unharmed."

Ed was having none of it! Cursing himself, he grabbed the sides of his hair and pulled off his fake hair! Mariah and Mystel were horrified! Watching the photographer storm out of the room yelling at the top of his lungs, she turned her attention to Mystel whose serious face was now replaced by this trademark smirk.

Mariah narrowed her eyes. "What's with the stupid look?"

"Nothing."

"Your 'nothing' sounds like your plotting," Mariah shot. "Spill the beans, broom head!"

Mystel moved this hand to his heart as if he stabbed it with poison. Shattered heart twice in one day. "Ouch. For a lady such as yourself, your words sure have a punch do it."

"Spill now,"

Mariah shifted into a better position to stare him in the eyes. She had no clue how close they were.

"Ok fine. Well, since I saved your life, I think I deserve a reward or at least a thank you."

She arched an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Why would I be kidding?"

"You saved me from a flying chair, big deal," Mariah waved her hands. "It wasn't like the fan was dislodged or something."

Mystel expressed a hurt expression but suddenly turned serious. "I would have protected you even if the fan headed your way. I would curse myself if I failed to protect you even if you think this is a small matter."

Mariah was silenced. Why? Why would he do this? Was it because he saw her as a weak girl unable to do anything or rather… was it something else she failed to pinpoint? Either way, maybe he wasn't as bad as he looked, she thought. Since her breakup with Rei, Mariah wasn't able to trust men because of their games. Shaking that thought out her head, Mystel was right; he deserved a thank you. Sighing, she got off him and adjusted her jacket.

Without looking at him she said, "I guess I owe you a date, huh?"

Mystel's ears perked up. "What? Can you repeat that?" Cupping his hand around his ear, he had to listen to her words carefully.

"Date, dumbass. D-A-T-E. Or if that's not good for you, I'd like to take you up on that lunch offer you said yesterday,"

Hopping off the motorcycle, Mystel headed toward the door and this time, he smiled. Extending out a hand he said, "Sure, why not? I know this awesome café nearby!"

Taking his hand, Mariah couldn't help but smile. "It better be good Mystel or else I won't properly thank you for saving me!"

Now he arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And what do you have in mind?"

Mariah giggled. "Shhh, it's a secret!"


End file.
